Create a Personal Vision Statement That Can Guide Your Life

You can create a great life with a clear vision of what you want to accomplish

Your personal vision statement guides your life and provides the direction necessary to chart the course of your days and the choices you make about your career. Think of your personal vision statement as the light shining in the darkness that illuminates your life path.

Write a vision statement as the first step in focusing your life. It can help put things into perspective—your joy, your accomplishments, your contribution to the world, your glory, and your legacy.

Prepare to Draft Your Vision Statement

The preparation for drafting your own vision statement involves lots of thought, introspection, and reflection. It can take time to formulate all your thoughts cohesively. To get started, ask yourself some guiding questions. Be honest. Your answers can help you clearly illustrate your vision.

Questions to Ask Yourself

What are 10 things that you most enjoy doing? These are the 10 things without which your weeks, months, and years would feel incomplete.

What three things must you do every single day to feel fulfilled in your work?

Write one important goal for each of the following facets of your life: physical, spiritual, work or career, family, social relationships, financial security, mental improvement and attention, and fun.

If you never had to work another day in your life, how would you spend your time instead of working?

When your life is ending, what will you regret not doing, seeing, or achieving?

What strengths have other people commented on about you and your accomplishments? What strengths do you see in yourself?

What weaknesses have other people commented on about you and what do you believe are your weaknesses?

Develop Your Vision Statement

Once you have thoughtfully prepared answers to these questions and others that you have identified as significant, you are ready to craft a personal vision statement. Write in the first person and make statements about the future you hope to achieve.

Write the statements as if you are already making them happen in your life. Some experts recommend 50 words or less, but forget word counts and fully articulate the vision that you want for your life and your future. The more detailed you make your image, the better you can see it in your mind's eye.

According to motivational speaker and writer Brian Tracy, you generally accomplish your written goals, dreams, plans, and visions. Writing down written goals lends power and commitment to their accomplishment.

Keep in mind that your personal vision statement can also change over time, depending on what is happening in your life. You might be amazed at how many components remain consistent over time.

When people live and experience the components of their personal vision frequently, they can feel inner peace and joy that knows no bounds. Your personal vision statement can have the same impact on you.

Envision Your Ideal Life

Theresa Quadrozzi, a certified life coach, suggests that you should think about how you would want your life to be—no holds barred.

"One of the first exercises I do with clients is to have them envision their ideal life, as if money was no option, as if a fairy godmother granted their every wish and they woke up in the morning to find that they've all come true. This helps shift them out of a fear-based, conditioned world, out of pessimism and into possibilities, into what could be."

Quadrozzi claims that people fail to live fulfilling lives because they are pulled down by the negative factors they see around them, like economic downturns and uncertainty in their work life. Meanwhile, in reality, there are endless possibilities up for grabs with the world constantly innovating and creating new opportunities.

As Quadrozzi suggests, "What would you like to do? What does the world need? What difference are you going to make?" Use your talents. Make your own reality.

You can live all your days as if they are the fulfillment of your hopes and dreams—because you use every day to accomplish some of them. Recognize the significance of this commitment to you and your life.

To quote the late American televangelist and motivational speaker Robert H. Schuller, "What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?" Repeat, what would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?